The French Code (13 page)

‘She isn't here,' Max almost whispered.

Tetu's face turned into a puce, pulpy fury. ‘She … isn't … zere?'

‘No. I'll call you back.' Max closed the connection and breathed deeply to try and calm her heart. ‘Tetu didn't call Veronique.'

They ran downstairs and met an out-of-breath Linden. ‘She isn't here,' he puffed. ‘The front door's open and there's no sign of François or the truck.'

Max felt her palm computer vibrate with another call from Tetu.

‘Do you think she's still wearing your Tracer Bug?' Toby asked.

‘I hope so.' Max took out the Time and Space Machine and accessed the virtual search engine. She entered her tracer code. In a few seconds a blue-green image of the earth appeared. It zoomed in on France and careened down to the grounds of Strangways's chateau and a forest path.

‘There she is.' Max watched as a red dot
blipped on the screen. ‘She's inside François's truck.' Her voice stuck in her throat like cotton wool.

‘We left her alone for only minutes,' Max whispered. Linden saw small silver tears flare up in her eyes. ‘Our only job was to look after her and I mucked it up.'

‘We'll get her back,' Linden said.

Max looked up from the machine and slipped her arms though the straps of her pack. ‘Toby, you stay here and work out the rest of that spell or ritual or whatever it is. I bet it has everything to do with where they're taking Veronique. Write to me on the palm computer as soon as you've cracked it. Don't call in case it's not safe to speak. We were sent here to make sure nothing happens to Veronique, and that's exactly what we're going to do.'

Max stood on the pebbled drive of the courtyard with a shoe on one foot and a bandage wrapped around the other. She gave her hand a fierce shake before throwing a red rubber cube onto the ground. A small plume of dust rose into the air followed by the appearance of a red, sleek vehicle.

Linden noticed Max's clenched fists. ‘Would you like me to drive?'

‘No thanks. I'll do it.' She threw him the Time and Space Machine, which somersaulted over the Felani. ‘You navigate.'

Max threw her bag in the back and turned the key hard in the ignition. The engine revved to life as she and Linden clicked into their seatbelts. She spun the car away from the chateau steps, and a storm of dust and pebbles confettied into the air behind them. She sped into the castle entranceway, through the streaming pools of light from the murder holes.

‘Oh.' Max slammed her foot hard on the brake, skidding the car into a sliding drawl that stopped just centimetres from the solid wood of the raised drawbridge.

‘I forgot about that.'

Linden opened his door. ‘Won't be a sec.'

He put the Time and Space Machine on the
seat and got out, inspecting the mechanism that operated the drawbridge. Max reversed the Felani to give him more room.

Linden turned to her and smiled. ‘I think a little soap will do the trick.'

Max rifled through her pack and pulled a cake of soap from her toiletry bag. She jumped out of the car and stood next to Linden.

‘I reckon just about there.' He pointed to the top corners of the bridge where two large metal boxes were fixed. ‘3… 2… 1.'

The two spies each tugged on the embedded rope in a soap, hurled them and turned away, shielding their heads with their arms.

The silent bombs busted apart the boxes as if they were made of paper, scattering the massive chain links and hurtling the unstrung drawbridge downwards. Splintered chunks of wood and metal fell into the blackened moat.

‘These bombs are stronger than his last ones.' Linden shook his head, which puffed dust and grit into the air. He looked across to the other side of the moat. ‘And that's a long way now that the drawbridge is gone. Think we can do it?'

Max brushed a thick layer of dust from her face and clothes. ‘Jump in.'

They flung open the doors and strapped themselves in. Linden held the Time and Space Machine firmly in his lap while Max took a careful breath and threw the car into reverse. She stopped in a screech, pushed the gear stick into drive and latched onto the sight of the far edge of the moat.

‘Prepare for takeoff.' Linden planted his feet firmly against the floor.

Max lifted her foot and plunged it hard onto the accelerator. The Felani remained where it was while the spinning tyres found traction and leapt into life. The needle from the speedometer edged round, higher and higher as the bridgeless moat sped closer.

They felt one last jolt as the Felani's wheels left solid ground and sailed into the air. Linden looked down. ‘I think I saw an alligator.'

Max took her foot off the accelerator and braced for the landing. ‘I think the smooth part of this ride is about to end.'

The Felani hammered against the ground, bouncing rodeo-like and slinging Max and Linden in their seats like rag dolls. The car came to a bumpy stop.

‘Good job,' Linden said. ‘Shame we don't have time to do it again.'

He searched the screen of the Time and Space Machine for signs of Veronique and the Tracer Bug. ‘She's still on the grounds. Go through there.'

Linden directed Max to the edge of the forest and through a small gap in the trees. She swung the wheel, spinning the car out of the way of gnarled trunks and over their misshapen, knotted roots.

‘Are we getting out of here any time soon?' Max's voice shuddered as her hands jerked the wheel in sharp twists.

‘Any minute now.'

The last of the trees gave way and the Felani lurched into sunlight and an open field. Max pushed harder on the accelerator.

‘How far away is she?'

‘About two kilometres.' Linden stared at the screen. ‘But she's stopped moving.'

Max shot Linden a nervous look. ‘What do we do about that?' She nodded towards a long hedge that spanned the field in the distance.

‘It's right in the way of where we want to go.'

‘Fine,' Max said through gritted teeth. ‘Straight ahead it is then.'

The Felani flew over the bumps and furrows of the field. The hedge got closer.

‘Are you sure?' Linden asked.

‘Quimby says these things are strong,' Max answered. ‘Let's test her out.'

Her foot was level with the floor. The Felani gained speed, tearing over the grassy field. It hit a buried stone and lifted into the air.

‘Hold on.' Max tightened her grip on the steering wheel and closed her eyes as the Felani crashed through the hedge. Branches hit against the car like a crowd of hands playing drums on the roof before they came out the other side.

‘We did it,' Linden cheered, until he realised their ride had suddenly become smooth again. ‘Uh oh.'

The Felani nosedived through the air briefly before it was engulfed by the shallow water of another pond and stalled. Max put the car into neutral and started the engine. ‘I'm not done yet. Is Veronique still close?'

‘Yep, we're almost there.'

The Felani's super-grip wheels easily climbed out of the pond and after another short, rally-driving trip through a smaller forest, Max slowed to a stop behind a large tree, within throwing distance of a small steel-clad hangar.

‘She's in there,' Linden said.

‘A plane hangar?'

Linden shook his head. ‘There's no airstrip.'

‘Is that where he's going to do his –'

The roof of the hangar seemed to come to life and opened out like two huge mechanical arms. In a matter of seconds a helicopter rose up from its metal insides.

‘Doesn't look like it,' Linden answered.

‘Is she onboard?' Max asked.

Linden nodded.

Max tried to hide the fear in her voice. ‘We'll wait to see where she lands and use the Time and Space Machine to rescue her.'

The helicopter grew smaller on the horizon. They watched until it disappeared. Now that the car had stopped, Max could no longer ignore the vibration of her palm computer. ‘It's Steinberger.'

‘Max, I tried to call Linden's computer, but I couldn't get through.'

‘Sorry, Steinberger,' Linden leant into the screen. ‘We've been on a bit of a noisy ride.'

‘We feel you may be in danger.'

‘
Tell
us about it,' Max mumbled.

‘We've discovered that the two Louvre security guards were bribed with an extraordinary amount of money and a small island for each of them. After
some extensive investigating, we've tracked the bribe to an account in Switzerland in the name of a company owned by Strangways.'

‘Bribed in exchange for the security procedures for the museum?' Max asked.

‘And Strangways faked his own abduction to make it look like he wasn't involved in Antoine's kidnapping.'

‘Do they know where he is?' Linden asked.

‘No. I'm afraid not.' Steinberger shook his head.

‘Did you discover this or Tetu?' Max asked carefully.

‘It was two Spyforce agents. And the professors from your list have told us that Strangways is well known for offering generous amounts of money for finders of ancient artefacts, but in recent years he's been especially keen on finding a particular book.'

‘
The Book of the Dead?
' Max asked.

‘Precisely.'

‘We know where it is.' Max's palm computer vibrated in her hand with another message. The top of the screen flashed with a name: Tetu. ‘Veronique's dad found the book for Strangways, who keeps it in a private museum under his chateau. It has some spells Toby thinks Strangways
is going to use in some destructive ritual, but the book alone isn't enough to make that happen.'

‘He needs an object to power it,' Linden added. ‘We don't know what it is, where he's going to do it or … why he needs Veronique. Toby's working on it now.'

‘He needs Veronique?' Steinberger asked.

The computer continued to vibrate with Tetu's call.

Max paused. ‘We think Strangways has had Veronique kidnapped. We're on our way to get her now.'

‘Oh dear.' Steinberger's face twisted into a worried mess. ‘Do you need anything from us?'

‘Max gave Veronique her Tracer Bug, so we're going to track her down. If we need help, we'll call.'

‘I'll have agents on the ground ready to move as soon as you need them. Good luck.'

‘Could you send some agents to get Toby?' Max asked. ‘He's alone at the chateau.'

‘I'll do it straight away.' Steinberger paused. ‘Be careful, you two. It seems Strangways has made it his life's purpose to find this book. Now that he has it, he won't be easily convinced to give it up.'

‘Thanks, Steinberger.' Max closed the connection.

‘They're in Paris.' Linden watched the screen. ‘Flying over the city.'

‘Tetu's been trying to call. What do I tell him?'

‘He didn't know about Veronique. Maybe he's not involved after all?' Linden said.

Max activated the message link. ‘Hello, Commandant.' She could feel the heat of Tetu's temper flowing into her hands.

‘Where is she?' he asked quietly.

‘We lost her.'

‘You lost 'er?'

‘We have a Tracer Bug on her, so we know where she's being taken.'

‘Why aren't you wiz 'er now?'

Max swallowed. ‘She's been flown away in a helicopter out of the chateau grounds, but we're going to …'

‘You are going to do nozing. We will take over from 'ere,' he spat. ‘You are relieved of your duty.'

‘She's at the Eiffel Tower,' Linden said.

Tetu's eye twitched. ‘Ze tower and surrounding park 'ave been shut today due to a threat.'

‘The helicopter is hovering just beneath the top,' Linden said, watching his computer. ‘An inflatable chute is opening out. It's hooked onto the outside railing.' His face drained as he watched
two figures slide down the chute. ‘They're inside the top level.'

‘What kind of threat?' Max asked Tetu. ‘From who? When?'

‘Today … a threat to … we don't know who but we 'ad to …'

‘It's Strangways,' Max said. ‘And we can help you –'

‘You will leave zis to me,' Tetu instructed. ‘Do not come anywhere near ze Eiffel Tower.' His normally twitching eye hardened into a firm, sneering look. ‘You 'ave done enough damage.' ‘'Opefully zere is still time to fix up your mess and save 'er.'

His face snapped from the screen.

Max grabbed her pack from the back of the car and held out her hand for the Time and Space Machine. ‘We're going.'

‘Thought you might say that.' Linden handed it over.

Outside the car, Max used the virtual search engine to zero in one of the tower's four iron pillars.

‘Ready?' But as she was about to grab Linden's hand to transport them, a text message came though on her computer.

‘It's from Toby. He's worked out the spell.'
Linden leant in and they scanned the screen. ‘And how to break it.'

Max texted Toby to forward it to Steinberger and added, ‘Keep listening.'

She pressed the
record
function on her watch so Toby could hear everything that was about to happen. She grabbed Linden's hand. ‘It's time we cancelled Strangways's little magic show.'

She pressed
transport
and the two spies disappeared.